Order of Battle: Allied Ground Forces of Operation Desert Storm (Paperback)

by Thomas D. Dinackus (Author) "At 1430 hours on February 24, 1991, the VII Corps - the most powerful armored corps in history - initiated its attack and headed north..." (more)
Key Phrases: heavy division cavalry squadrons, artillery firing units, novelty patch, Desert Storm, Mar Div, Marine Corps (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This is a detailed study of the Allied ground combat units that served in Operation Desert Storm. It lists the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, British, French and Arab units that served in the Gulf and depicts the command relationships between the units before and during Desert Storm. It identifies the major types of equipment that were used by these units, and presents substantial informaton about the units, such as idenifying the Apache attack helicopter that fired the first shots of Desert Storm, the first Patriot missle to engage an Iraqi Scud, and which of them actually saw combat. It compares the Army and Marine Corps forces deployed to the Gulf and compares Desert Storm to Vietnam and Korea.

It includes reproductions of unit patches and medals worn by soldiers who were actively involved in action in the Gulf.

Anyone interested in military history or war games, as well as those stationed in the Gulf during Operation Desert Storm, will be interested in this thoroughly research and most authoritative listing of forces available.

About the Author
Thomas D. Dinackus served in the U.S. Army for four years. He entered on active duty as a cavalry officer after earning a B.A. in History from Dickinson College in 1979. He graduated from the Armor Officers' Basic Course at Fort Knox and then served in the 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment at Fort Bliss, Texas. Today he is an attorney with the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. He has published numerous articles about military history.

Product Details

• Paperback: 175 pages
• Publisher: PSI Research; 1st edition (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555714935
• ISBN-13: 978-1555714932
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,384,937 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, definitive, authoritative, fascinating., February 3, 2000

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Order Of Battle is a complete and definitive study of the allied unit operations and involvement in Operation Desert Storm. Thomas Dinackus offers a comprehensive listing of all the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, British, French, and Arab/Islamic units that served in the Gulf and depicts the command structure between the nits before and during the Persian Gulf War. Order Of Battle also identifies the organization and major types of equipment employed by the units serving in the Gulf. Throughout Order Of Battle are vivid snapshots of the operation including the first shots fired in Operation Desert Storm by an Apache attack helicopter unit and the first Patriot missile unit to engage an Iraqi Scud. Color plates of unit patches, plus other fascinating elements from the conflict are showcased, along with a unique comparison of Operation Desert Storm to the conflicts in Vietnam and Korea. Order Of Battle is an essential reference for military buffs, insignia collectors, war gamers, and students of ground combat in modern warfare.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful reference book, November 28, 2000

By	Steven J. Zaloga (Stamford, CT USA) - See all my reviews

Tom Dinakus'Desert Storm book is an extremely handy volume for anyone interested in modern armies. It is particularly valuable for anyone reading other accounts of the Desert Storm campaign, as it provides a more comprehensive explanation of the forces deployed during the war than is available in most other books on the subject. Even if you're not interested in Desert Storm, it provides a very useful guide to the composition of the US Army at the height of its powers in the days immediately after the end of the Cold War.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A valuable source on the Gulf War, November 15, 2000

By	David C. Isby (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An accurate order of battle is a necessity for understanding any military situation. Whether writing a book, designing a wargame, or preparing a briefing for decision-makers - I've had many opportunities to do all three - I found that order of battle separates facts from rumor or opinion. I have also found that too often, military history books do not provide adequate orders of battle or that they provide only a single "snapshot" of a complex process.

This book is an accurate, thorough description of the complex organizations of land combat that won the Gulf War. It covers the US military and the broad spectrum of allied forces, with notes as to equipment, operational role, and dates of arrival and departure in-theater.

Invaluable for any future historian or for the veteran who wants to be able to point out their outfit and show their part in the victory. Those who have read other accounts of the Gulf War (such as those published by the GPO as well as the wide range of memoir literature) will find this a useful supplement. Those who have found Shelby Stanton's US order of battle volumes on World War II and Vietnam useful will find this more so due to the inclusion of allied forces and greater context. And the hard-core OB specialists will need to have this on the shelf near their copies of Joslin and Tessin.